


and be satisfied not to read in between the lines

by maidmarians



Series: maybe it's not an ending (maybe it's a beginning) [1]
Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Mentions of Q's death, don't worry he'll come back, post-canon but i eventually fix everything that went wrong, the others are mentioned - Freeform, what if we woke up spooning and we were both girls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25823056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maidmarians/pseuds/maidmarians
Summary: Alice is absolutely miserable, and contrary to popular belief, Margo doesn't have a fucking heart of stone.Or: Margo and Alice share a bed.
Relationships: Margo Hanson/Alice Quinn
Series: maybe it's not an ending (maybe it's a beginning) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1873675
Kudos: 13





	and be satisfied not to read in between the lines

**Author's Note:**

> title from sweet thing by van morrison. [check out the hozier cover!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAbs_PYfpvQ&list=PLDH8K7kUdg4ioNAneceScMw9_aqbn2-MC&index=13&t=0s)
> 
> this is set in a hazy post-season 5 timeline, where i try to correct all the shit that went wrong in the last seasons. so don't worry, q won't stay dead for long!

Margo doesn't know how she ends up in Alice's room, trying to comfort her while she cries. No, that's a lie. She knows exactly how it happens. 

They're approaching the one-year anniversary of Quentin's death (who even came up with the idea of calling it an anniversary? Like it's something to celebrate, instead of a reminder of one of the worst days of their lives), and they all seem to be coping in different ways. Some better than others, if she's being honest.

Alice is absolutely miserable, and contrary to popular belief, Margo doesn't have a fucking heart of stone. 

She can't leave her alone like this. 

So she sits next to her and wraps an arm around her shoulder and lets Alice lean against her and cry her heart out. (Alice apologizes for all the crying, Margo tries in vain to wipe away her tears.) They end up on the bed eventually, facing each other, and Alice tells her about the one time she saw Q so focused on learning a new tut that he walked into a tree and automatically apologized to it. 

If Margo tears up a little, if she shares her own favorite memories of Q, well...no one but Alice has to know.

* * *

Margo wakes up in an unfamiliar bed. She's surrounded by warmth, and sunlight is filtering in through the half-closed blinds on a window. It takes her a moment to realize where she is, another to remember what happened the previous night, and yet another to remember that she's not alone.

It turns out that instead of a thick blanket covering her, Alice is responsible for all the warmth. She's wrapped herself around Margo in her sleep: her arms around Margo's middle, her hair just barely brushing the side of Margo's face, their legs all tangled together.

It's comfortable, and unexpected, and... _really fucking cute_ , if she's being honest with herself. It's nice. Margo has never really been into the whole cuddling thing (Eliot being the obvious exception), but Alice is a good big spoon. 

"Alice."

Alice mumbles something incoherent, nuzzling into her neck, and Margo melts. Cause of death: reduced to a pile of mush by Alice Quinn, who's apparently a massive cuddler in her sleep. Who knew? She briefly entertains the idea of closing her eyes again and dealing with the repercussions of this (whatever " _sleeping in your dead friend's ex girlfriend's bed and actually enjoying being cuddled by her_ " is) later, but the responsible part of her knows that they have shit to do. As always.

So Margo manages to steel her resolve. 

"Alice!" 

A little louder, this time. When that doesn't work, she carefully removes one of Alice's arms from around her, setting it back on her side, and if Margo is gentler with her than she has any right to be, so what? It's not like there's anyone around to witness it. It's not like Alice is awake to know it. It's not like she feels a little guilty for having all kinds of confusing feelings for Q's girlfriend (ex-girlfriend?) after they spent the night talking about him or anything. 

Now with a little more freedom of movement, she twists to face the blonde. 

"Come on, kitty cat," Margo runs a light hand up and down Alice's arm, brushes a wayward strand of hair away from her eyes. "Don't make me get a bucket of water. I'd hate to ruin your adorable bedspread, but you know I will if I have to."

"Arghnwaffle...glittertoast." Okay, so maybe she isn't entirely conscious yet, but it's something. Margo props herself up on an elbow and figures she'll give her a minute before resorting to the ice-cold water trick. 

Alice stirs again, eyelashes fluttering, but this time she moves with more purpose. If she isn't awake by now, she will be soon.

"Mmh." She turns her head to the side and flings an arm out, eyes snapping open when her fingers graze Margo's hip. "Margo." 

Alice blinks blearily at her. She looks different without her glasses. Younger, somehow. Her hair is sticking up in all directions, and Margo is struck by the sudden impulse to run her fingers through it, mess it up a little more, remind herself that Alice Quinn is just human, after all. She doesn't. 

"Good morning." Margo aims for casual, not entirely sure how to approach the situation. 

Alice just stares at her for another moment, probably wondering what the fuck Margo is doing in her bed, before glancing down and noticing their legs are still very much tangled. Her ears and face turn an adorable shade of pink and she nearly falls off the bed in an attempt to properly distance herself from Margo. 

"Sorry, sorry! I wasn't - I didn't mean to keep you here- I just..." She trails off, still looking hopelessly embarrassed, and Margo takes pity on her. 

"It's fine, honey. Trust me, I've had worse nights."

She smiles, relieved, then frowns. "Were you saying something about a bucket of water?"

Margo shrugs, and this time she can't resist the urge to tease her. "Just my little back-up plan if I couldn't get you up in another minute. Not that I would mind sleeping in when you make such a great big spoon- but 'Fillory awaits' and all that."

Margo's not sure if it's the mention of Fillory, spooning, or the admission that she was ready to pour cold water on her, but Alice suddenly looks more awake.

"Right! Fillory. We should get dressed." She reaches for the glasses she'd left on her nightstand, and much to Margo's surprise, blushes a delicate shade of red again. "Separately."

"Of course." Margo has to fight back a smile as she answers. Was Alice always this easy to fluster?

She gets up to go, but Alice catches her hand before she can make it out the door. Margo turns and raises an eyebrow, curious to know what's so important that it couldn't wait until she'd gotten at least some caffeine in her system.

"I just wanted to say thank you. I was a mess and you really didn't have to stay and deal with all that, but you did." Alice ducks her head almost shyly, and Margo catches a glimpse of the first-year she had been so eager to befriend. "It was sweet."

She smiles then, a little bit melancholic but entirely genuine, and warmth spreads throughout Margo's chest.

"I'm your friend, Alice." Margo squeezes her hand. "You better believe I can handle a few late-night crying sessions." She winks. "And it was worth it. I wasn't kidding when I said you make a great big spoon. So nice and warm..."

Alice rolls her eyes, but Margo would swear she looks pleased. 

Margo thinks that's the end of it, but Alice surprises her again by leaning in and kissing her on the cheek. A pleasant shiver travels down her spine, her brain shuts down, and Alice laughs softly and shuts her bedroom door on Margo standing there like a fucking idiot.

Great. So much for not making things weird.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed this little one-shot, and stay tuned for more to come!


End file.
